1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club head having a flexible face designed to improve golf ball launch conditions. The flexibility of the face is enhanced through the inclusion of an elongated recess in the sole of the golf club head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Traditionally, wood-type and hybrid-type golf club heads are manufactured by welding a face plate or a formed or cast face cup to a body made of one or more pieces. The face causes a golf ball striking the face to launch away from the golf club head. Golf clubs that are currently available on the market, however, do not provide optimized flexibility for impact with golf balls without impacting other factors involved in hitting a golf ball.
For example, several golf clubs currently on the market include sole features proximate the face that are intended to improve golf ball launch conditions. These sole features are slots or grooves having parallel side walls, as shown in FIG. 1, or side walls that slope away from each other as they approach the ground plane, as shown in FIG. 2. In both of these examples, the width of the bottom, innermost part of the groove (x1) is less than or equal to the width of the top, outermost part of the groove (x2). These groove structures typically are selected for ease of manufacture, but they do not provide optimized ball launch conditions. Furthermore, these groove structures can interfere with a golfer's swing because the large discontinuity in their openings causes the back edge of the groove to catch the turf during downswing and at impact.
Another fundamental problem with these groove structures is the fact that the groove opening (x2) drives the design of the groove. If a larger inner surface (x1) is required to improve launch performance, then the groove opening (x2) must also increase, thus impacting the visual appearance of the sole and increasing the likelihood of unwanted turf interaction during play. Therefore, there is a need for a golf club construction that provides improved golf ball launch conditions without also creating unwanted turf interactions.